CNN’s chief legal affairs reporter, Chicago weather vet retires, Bloomberg ed layoffs: TBN Ticker for Oct. 20

With the 2024 election cycle in full swing, CNN is investing in political coverage by promoting Paula Reid, a senior legal affairs correspondent to chief legal affairs correspondent. Tom Skilling, a veteran meteorologist of Chicago’s WGN-TV Ch. 9 has announced his retirement. His last day will be Feb. 28, 2024. Meanwhile, Bloomberg had laid off rougly 20 editorial staffers earlier this week due to “strategically reallocate resources,” a person familiar with the matter said. Hmm. “Reallocate resources.” And you thought they were … I dunno … people?

Reid takes chief legal correspondent role at CNN … CNN has tapped Paula Reid, a senior legal affairs correspondent to serve as chief legal affairs correspondent. Reid will be based in Washington, D.C. Prior to joining CNN in March 2021, Reid worked for more than a decade at CBS News. There, she held the posts of investigative unit intern, CBS Evening News researcher, digital journalist and reporter. She also covered the Trump White House, the Justice Department and legal affairs. Reid has a B.S. from William & Mary in Virginia and a J.D. from Villanova University School of Law in Philadelphia. Be sure to congratulate Reid on X/Twitter.

Chicago weatherman Skilling announces retirement… Tom Skilling, a TV meteorologist on WGN-TV Ch. 9, has announced that he will retire on Feb. 28 after more than four decades on the air. “If you had told young Tom Skilling that he would go on to have a career in weather spanning seven decades, working in Chicago, with some truly wonderful people, I think he would be overjoyed,” he said. “And that’s how I feel today. Overjoyed at the colleagues I’ve worked with, the viewers I’ve met, the stories I’ve covered. Overjoyed and grateful. I wouldn’t trade a single minute of it for anything.” Previously, he also held radio and TV jobs in Illinois and Wisconsin. He joined WGN-TV in August 1978. “Tom Skilling is a Chicago institution. There isn’t another meteorologist in the history of the city, or the country for that matter, who has been more impactful doing what he does,” WGN-TV VP and GM Paul Rennie said. Read more here.

Bloomberg lays off roughly 20 in editorial… Bloomberg News laid off about 20 editorial staffers earlier this week, a person familiar with the changes confirmed to Talking Biz News. The cuts were not related to any financial issues and done to strategically reallocate resources, the person said. The news organization still has more editorial staffers than it did at the start of the year. The affected staffers include political journalist Ryan Teague Beckwith. He had been with the organization for four years covering the 2020, 2022 and 2024 elections, U.S. politics, election denial and voting systems. Congress reporter Laura Litvan has covered Congress, both policy and politics. Editor Joe Schneider most recently edited stories for the West Coast federal and state courts in Los Angeles.

Croffie takes on new role at CNN… Kwegyirba Croffie will serve as a writer/producer on CNN News Central. Recently, she was a writer for “First Move with Julia Chatterley,” the network’s daily business program. She also served as associate producer of “Early Start with Christine Romans and Laura Jarrett,” a role in which she focused on business news. She joined CNN in June 2016 as a news assistant. Previously, she worked as a social media producer at online audio and video media company TheGrio, and reported for the outlet It’s Relevant in Connecticut. Croffie has a B.A. in broadcast journalism from Quinnipiac University in Connecticut. Be sure to congratulate Croffie on X/Twitter.

A flying editorial landing… Rachel S. Cohen has taken on the role of editor of the Air Force Times at Military Times. “Really excited to run a publication that’s been an independent voice for U.S. troops since 1947,” she wrote on X/Twitter. Recently, she held the post of senior reporter at the publication. She has also worked as a senior editor at Air Force Magazine. Previously, she was at Inside Washington Publishers, where she worked for four years, holding various roles, including associate editor and managing editor for Inside the Air Force. She was also an education reporter at The Fredrick News-Post in Maryland. Cohen interned at The Washington Post and AFP. An award-winning journalist, Cohen has a B.A. in journalism and international studies from American University. Be sure to congratulate Cohen on X/Twitter.

Waddell departs Hello! Mag for Yahoo News… Yahoo News has hired Lily Waddell as an entertainment news editor. Recently, she served as acting premium content editor at Hello! Magazine. Before that, Waddell was at the Evening Standard, where she worked as an assistant news editor. She was a senior showbiz reporter at The Daily Mirror Newspapers, and a showbiz reporter at MailOnline. She also served as an online news reporter at The Daily Star Online, and interned at Guardian News & Media, Hearst Magazines and Trinity Mirror plc. Waddell graduated from Royal Holloway, University of London.

Stanford joins the NY Times’ Home team in Seoul… Chris Stanford has joined The New York Times Home team as its first deputy editor in Seoul. “In this role, Chris will oversee international programming of The Times’s digital report, help manage a global team, set department standards and use our platforms to build relationships with readers,” The Times reports. Since joining the Times in October 2013, Stanford has worked as a producer for the home page and mobile app, wrote the Morning Briefing and edited on the Express desk. In 14-plus years at The Washington Post, Stanford held the posts of assistant news editor, senior news producer and multiplatform editor. He also held editorial roles at the Orlando Sentinel and The Augusta Chronicle. Stanford graduated from the University of Georgia with a degree in journalism. Connect with Stanford on X/Twitter.

Wilson moves to the NY Times features desk… Mike Wilson, acting editor on the now-shuttered Sports desk at The New York Times, has been named deputy editor of “The Great Read,” which recommends to you one piece of narrative or essay writing from the Times. Wilson boasts a four-decade career, including serving as editor of The Dallas Morning News for six years. In the 1990s, he was a staff writer at The Miami Herald’s Tropic magazine. He was also an enterprise editor at The Tampa Bay Times, where one of his writers won the Pulitzer Prize for “Feature Writing” and three others were finalists. Wilson graduated from Tufts University.

AP’s new government and politics reporter… Isabella Volmert has joined The Associated Press as a reporter to cover Indiana state government and politics. “I’m so excited to report once again in the state I called home for so long. You can reach me with all things Hoosier + Indianapolis recs at ivolmert@ap.org,” she wrote on X/Twitter. Volmert comes from The Dallas Morning News, where she worked as a breaking news reporter. She held the posts of associate news editor and assistant managing editor at The Observer, part of Notre Dame and Saint Mary’s. She was also a news reporter at South Bend Tribune. Volmert has a bachelor’s degree in English language and literature/letters from the University of Notre Dame. Connect with Volmert on X/Twitter.

American-Statesman hires Kepner to cover higher ed… Lily Kepner has joined the Austin American-Statesman as a higher education reporter. “Austin students, educators, faculty and administrators, please don’t hesitate to DM me with story ideas or tips :) Can’t wait to dive in!” she wrote on X/Twitter. Recently, Kepner served as executive chair of the Back Bay Publishing Company, the board of directors for The Daily Free Press. She also worked as a staff correspondent at Boston University News Service and was a Newton correspondent at Boston Globe Media Group. Kepner has a B.S. in journalism from Boston University, where she worked at the student newspaper The Daily Free Press. Be sure to congratulate Kepner on X/Twitter.

Subair to cover fashion features for ELLE UK… Elle UK has appointed Eni Subair as fashion features editor. Recently, she held the post of fashion news editor. Prior to joining Elle in May 2022, Subair was at Vogue, where she worked on the fashion features desk. She also worked as an editorial assistant at Refinery29 UK. From January 2017 to January 2018, she worked as a fashion features assistant at Elle Magazine. Subair graduated from the University of the West of England. You can congratulate Subair on X/Twitter.

Time hires Moench in London… Mallory Moench has joined Time as a weekend reporter. Since January 2016, she has been freelancing. Moench has also worked at the San Francisco Chronicle for four years as a general assignment business reporter, health reporter and transportation reporter. She also covered breaking news on regular weekend shifts. She was also a member of the award-winning teams covering California wildfires via social media, live blogs and on-the-scene updates. Her most recent post as of August 2023 was reporting on the San Francisco mayor and city hall. Moench has a B.A. from Gordon College in Massachusetts and an M.A. in journalism from CUNY Graduate School of Journalism. Be sure to congratulate Moench on X/Twitter.

Renwick swaps Nexus Media for Guardian US… The Guardian US has tapped Danielle Renwick to serve as an editor of climate and environmental justice stories. Recently, Renwick was editor of Nexus Media News, a nonprofit newsroom that focuses on climate change. Before that, she was a project editor at The Guardian US, where she partnered with Kaiser Health News and worked with journalists on a year-long data and investigative project to report on frontline healthcare workers lost to the pandemic. She also worked as an editor at the Brennan Center for Justice think tank in New York. And at the Council of Foreign Relations, the award-winning journalism arm of a foreign policy think tank, she worked as a copy editor. Renwick has a bachelor’s degree in journalism from New York University and a master’s degree in urban and social policy from Columbia University.

Insider reporter Cohen departs… Rebecca Cohen, a breaking news reporter at Insider has left. She wrote on X/Twitter, “This experience has been nothing short of an absolute privilege and I will miss the incredible reporters and editors a ton. I have learned so much here and look forward to continuing my career in breaking news! More soon.” Cohen joined Insider in August 2021 as a breaking news fellow. Later, she was appointed to the post of junior breaking news reporter. Prior to joining Insider, she was at HerMoney, a personal finance website for women, where she worked as a reporter and assistant for Jean Chatzky, and as a social media manager. She also worked as a data analyst and social media reporter at Capital News Service. Cohen has a bachelor’s degree in journalism from the University of Maryland College Park. Reach out to Cohen via X/Twitter or LinkedIn.

Church becomes city hall reporter at Houston Chronicle… Abby Church will join The Houston Chronicle’s government team as a city hall reporter. Recently, she covered local government and politics in Tarrant County for the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. Prior to joining the Chronicle in October 2021, Church was a government watchdog reporter at Gannett-owned Fayetteville Observer. She has also freelanced for the Virginia Gazette and interned at the Richmond Times-Dispatch. Church has a B.A. from James Madison University, where she was editor-in-chief of the student newspaper, The Breeze. Be sure to congratulate Church on X/Twitter.

Houston’s CBS station names White consumer investigative reporter… Houston CBS station KHOU-TV Ch. has appointed Grace White consumer investigative reporter. For the past nine years, she has been reporting nightside. Prior to joining KHOU-TV in October 2014, White was a news reporter and weekend anchor in San Antonio Fox station KABB-TV Ch. 29, and at WOAI-TV Ch. 4, the city’s NBC and CW Plus affiliate. She was also a news reporter at both WEAR-TV Ch. 3, an ABC station in Pensacola, Fla., and KLFY-TV Ch. 10, a CBS affiliate in Lafayette, La. Be sure to congratulate White on X/Twitter.

Mariam Ahmed is Talking Biz News’ content correspondent. For tips on the Friday TBN Ticker, email her at mariam@talkingbiznews.com or connect with her on LinkedIn.